In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,530, granted Jan. 8, 1980, I disclosed locking arrangements for rigid trash bins to prevent the unauthorized use of the bins. In recent years, however, plastic lids for trash bins have become more popular and are being more widely used. For many applications it is not necessary or desirable to providing locking arrangements for trash bins, and accordingly, the plastic lids are made of material which is sufficiently lightweight that it may be flexed or bent to a considerable degree if pressure is applied to one corner of the lid while the remainder of the lid is held down. Accordingly, up to the present time, it has not been practical to provide effective locks for trash bins which are provided with flexible lids, either of the new plastic type, or those made with relatively light gauge metal lids. Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide secure locking arrangements for trash bins having relatively flexible lids.
Another problem in the locking of trash bins has been the nature of the locks which have been proposed heretofore. In general, they have been somewhat more expensive than might be desirable, and may not have the adaptability which is useful in many situations. Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide improved locking arrangements for trash bins.